Vaccine technology licensed PhD grads applaud U of G
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50 YEARS A UNIVERSITY After 37 years of proposals and rejections, the creation of the University of Guelph in 1964 came as a surprise to campus officials.
ue lph physicists are perfecting a technique that will make new drugs more targetspecific. Other faculty discuss the insurance implications of genetic testing, why parents don’t trust vaccines and how to use workplace stress to boost performance.
*!#",'. "*++-)( lumni are gearing up for the University’s 50th anniversary celebrations during Alumni Weekend. Highlights will include the Conversat Ball, a U of G family picnic, college tours, class reunions and the unveiling of a new Gryphon statue at U of G’s main entrance.
4 — 14 — MACLACHLAN MEMORIES U of G’s first president was a family man: John MacLachlan’s children have fond memories of their campus playground.
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— 18 — THE SUGAR VACCINE LAB Chemist Mario Monteiro’s research team developed a vaccine for C. diff that could become one of U of G’s biggest licensing deals.
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— 23 — GREAT GUELPH GRADS Three PhD grads talk about their graduate training at U of G and the careers it led to. Winter 2014 1
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Winter 2014 • Volume 46 Issue 1
Editor Mary Dickieson Assistant Vice-President Charles Cunningham Art Direction Peter Enneson Design Inc. Contributors Susan Bubak Lori Bona Hunt Kevin Gonsalves Wendy Jespersen Teresa Pitman Andrew Vowles, B.Sc. ’84 Advertising Inquiries Scott Anderson 519-827-9169 Direct all other correspondence to: Communications and Public Affairs University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 E-mail m.dickieson@exec.uoguelph.ca www.uoguelph.ca/theportico/
You Remember U of G So Do Your Future Customers
The Portico magazine is published three times a year by Communications and Public Affairs at the University of Guelph. Its mission is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni and friends and promote pride and commitment within the University community. All material is copyright 2014. Ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of the University or the editors. Publications Mail Agreement # 40064673 Printed in Canada — ISSN 1714-8731 To update your alumni record, contact: Alumni Affairs and Development Phone 519-824-4120, Ext. 56550 Fax 519-822-2670 E-mail alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca
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For advertising inquiries: www.uoguelph.ca/adguide/ Scott Anderson Tel: 519-827-9169 Fax: 519-827-9174 Email: theandersondifference@rogers.com
GOLDEN MOMENTS DOMINATE GUELPH’S FIRST 50 YEARS he first golde n mome nt in the 50-year life of this institution was the passage of the University of Guelph Act on May 8, 1964. That act opened the door to other achievements not possible without that initial vote of confidence in our founding colleges and without the transfer of power to their new partnership. Becoming a university gave the institution full control of its academic mission and the ability to confer its own degrees. Undergraduate and master’s degrees were awarded during U of G’s first convocation in 1965; two years later, the University hooded its first PhD graduate. Those events must have given the faculty and staff a renewed sense of purpose in their efforts to teach and innovate. You know about great Guelph innovations, including research that has helped NASA discover water on Mars and created a global database of DNA barcodes.You’ve probably enjoyed Yukon Gold potatoes and omega-3 eggs, and you certainly benefit from U of G research leading to the detection of new and emerging diseases. We are a leader in rural history studies, and our library holds the largest collection of Scottish materials outside of the United Kingdom. U of G faculty members are using jazz improvisation to build a more tolerant society. Our scholars are training a new generation of Canadian writers and documenting the influence of Shakespeare on our society. We are growing a new business school with strong values in sustainability. What we’ve learned from working with rural communities has helped us build expertise in childcare policies, work-life balance, economic development, criminal justice and other areas vital to Canadians. Beyond the laboratory and library, we share those golden moments in U of G research and scholarship with our students in the classroom. Today’s graduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of fast-moving, high-tech industries. From the beginning, this University has given its graduates not just knowledge but also leadership skills and citizenship qualities. It was Guelph students who launched vote mobs in the 2011 federal election. They are the country’s best donors to a student program that supports food banks, and they draw hundreds of people each September to help pack food aid kits for developing countries. Our students win national and international scholarships and beat the national average for funding earned to support graduate research. The quality of our students reflects academic goals and institutional priorities adopted in 1987 that ushered
in Guelph’s learner-centred approach to education. Last year, U of G was the first Canadian university to implement across-the-board learning outcomes for all degree programs. Our student services, leadership programs and firstyear seminars have been copied by many other institutions. We have changed the face of post-secondary education in Canada by creating the University of Guelph-Humber. The University of Guelph excels in domestic and international student surveys of campus experiences. Our students give favourable ratings to our academic guidance, residential life and food services, and they applaud Guelph’s emphasis on strong social networks, physical fitness and well-being. All of these U of G moments and more have been captured in The BetterPlanet Project fundraising campaign. They are also part of a 50th-anniversary exhibit running for the next five months at the Guelph Civic Museum. I encourage you to tour today’s campus and visit this special museum exhibit to see how the University of Guelph is transforming its remarkable history into a future that will improve all our lives. Alastair Summe rle e, Pre side nt
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U of G Research Aids Drug Development
Vladimir Ladizhansky, left, and Leonid Brown
r e s e a rc h t e a m l e d by Guelph physicists Vladimir Ladizhansky and Leonid Brown has perfected ways to determine the structure of large proteins found in cell membranes throughout the body. That knowledge may help drug companies and other researchers zero in on new drug targets and design better remedies for ailments ranging from heart disease to eye and kidney problems. A paper published this fall in Nature Methods outlines a new way of looking at structures of cell membrane proteins using
solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.These complex molecules in membranes perform many important functions, including relaying signals, passing substances in and out of cells, and governing immune responses. They account for about 40 per cent of all proteins in the body. About half of all drugs target these proteins, says Brown. “Membrane proteins are primary drug targets for so many diseases.� But out of almost 100,000 known protein structures, only about 400 membrane proteins have been mapped so far. These molecules
are complex and hard to work with, adds Ladizhansky, who holds a Canada Research Chair in biophysics. Normally researchers use X-rays to look at protein structure, but that method often distorts the molecules through crystallization and prevents researchers from studying them in their natural state. Now the Guelph scientists have perfected a reliable solid-state NMR method to study molecules embedded in lipids, as they normally exist in membranes. Knowing protein structure helps researchers understand how molecules work. Ladizhansky says, “The impact on drug design is huge. It’s hard to create new drugs without knowing structures.� Drug companies now use high-throughput screening processes to plow through candidate molecules, he says. That’s complicated, time-consuming and costly. “If you know structures, you open the way for rational drug design.� The Guelph researchers will use the technique to study medically relevant proteins, including a membrane receptor protein that helps the body to bind caffeine and regulates blood vessels in the heart.
" # %$ "# % # % % #" !$ % "$ !"$ ncreasing poultry consumption and attendant animal health challenges have sparked the creation of a new U of G research network intended to keep poultry and consumers healthy. Headed by pathobiology professor Shayan Sharif, the collaboration of 38 experts will address basic and applied issues in poultry health, production and welfare as well as industry issues in environment, food safety and outreach. Those experts come from U of G, industry and govern-
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ment, and include diagnosticians, poultry health professionals and researchers ranging from engineering and computer science to animal science and veterinary medicine. They are now studying infectious pathogens in chickens, including Salmonella and the avian influenza virus. “The Poultry Health Research Network wants to enhance consumers’ confidence in poultry products in Ontario and Canada, and at the same time, increase the industry’s profitability,� says Sharif.
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WORK STRESS NOT ALL BAD
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Genetic Test: Yes or No?
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Today very few people undergo genetic testing and know about any negative results, so the effects on insurance are minimal. As more information becomes available, insurance rates might rise for everyone. Hoy says banning insurers from using the information seems a reasonable approach for now, but another idea is to limit the amount of insurance an individual can purchase. This has been done in a number of countries, but it’s hard to know what the limit should be: the same for everyone or geared to income? Worse, people don’t always behave logically. Although genetic testing seems to offer useful information, many people will decide not to pursue it. “If you have a parent with Huntington’s disease, for example,� he explains, “you have a 50-per-cent chance of developing the disease yourself. But when people at risk are offered testing, only 10 to 20 per cent agree.You would think they would want to know, but they don’t.�
Gloria GonzĂĄlez-Morales
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s g e neti c te sti ng becomes more common, individuals, insurance companies and governments are facing some tough questions. Research by Guelph economist Michael Hoy sheds light on some of those issues. Let’s assume testing reveals you have a high risk of developing a fatal disease. What if your insurance company obtains that information and uses it to either deny you coverage or increase your rates well beyond the usual costs? Hoy calls that discrimination. Or what if you know your genetic test results, but you’re not required to tell your insurance company? You might decide to buy a lot of life insurance – a lot more than you would otherwise. Hoy calls that being opportunistic. Recognizing the issues on both sides, Canada’s privacy commissioner asked Hoy and co-author Maureen Durnin to analyze this topic.Their discussion paper suggested the quantity of relevant genetic information held by the insurancebuying public is the most crucial feature.
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Winter 2014 5
in around university Why Parents Don’t Trust Vaccines aya g ol de nb e rg is investigating why a recent push from health authorities to promote immunizations has done little to convince those parents who are reluctant to have their children vaccinated. “I wanted to know what is keeping the public from trusting health authorities who are telling them vaccines are safe,� says the philosophy professor. Her research suggests health officials may not really understand the parents’ point of view. “The most current data shows that up to 40 per cent of Americans are either refusing to vaccinate their children or are employing an alternative vaccine schedule,� she says. To help counteract anti-vaccine sentiments, health authorities have focused on
Maya Goldenberg
promoting immunizations as being safe. “My perception is that they are missing the target,� says Goldenberg. Intertwined within information on vaccine safety is a line or two about the small percentage of children who experience adverse effects. “It’s treated like a footnote, but that’s what parents are looking at. They are wondering if my child is going to be the one affected. Parents don’t care about the population risk but rather the individual risk.� Goldenberg suggests health authorities address those concerns by showing how vaccines have been made safer. She says they should also investigate what makes certain people more susceptible to adverse reactions.
Caffeine Improves Endurance
Lawrence Spriet
a f f e i ne i s th e mo st p op ular sports supplement on the planet; about one in four athletes use it in one form or another. Its prevalence prompted Prof. Lawrence Spriet, chair of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, to write a book on the subject. Caffeine has long been used in sport, but the science behind it is only decades old – and much of the work has been published
6 The Portico
only in academic journals. “There was a need to translate the research that has been done into plain language to create a resource for coaches, trainers or athletes looking to use caffeine to improve training and competition,� says Spriet. He wrote Caffeine for Sports Performance with Australian researchers Ben Desbrow and Louise Burke. The book includes new research, study summaries and guidelines for people interested in using the drug in sport.
And make no mistake, says Spriet: caffeine is a drug. “But it’s the most socially accepted drug on the planet� and unlike 98 per cent of sports supplements on the market that claim to boost performance, it does work. Spriet says caffeine has profound and varied effects on the body. In sport, the most powerful is its ability to block the actions of a chemical called adenosine. By enhancing work and alleviating fatigue, caffeine helps boost the body’s drive to keep exercising and sustain muscle activity. It also reduces the brain’s perception of pain or muscle fatigue, which comes in handy for long-distance runners. The book looks at caffeine’s rise among athletes, including how and why attitudes about its use have changed. Another thing that has changed is dosage amount, Spriet said. “There is now evidence that you need less caffeine – a lot less – to get the same effect.� The book covers pros and cons of using the drug, health advice, potential risks, and the best and worst caffeine sources, ranging from coffee drinks to pills to sports gels. In interviews, top athletes and coaches share their experiences with caffeine.
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Women Lose Independence in Former Soviet Union
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U OF G AWARDS
Louise Grogan
n s o m e post-communist countries, women are becoming less modern than their mothers and grandmothers, according to Prof. Louise Grogan’s latest research. The economics professor, who is studying households in post-communist countries in Central Asia, has found the situation for women in non-industrialized areas is reverting to traditional ways. “During the era of communism, there was a big modernization drive to get away from the traditional household and to get women educated and working,� says Grogan, “but this communist ideal was never achieved. In fact, these countries are now even more traditional than they were during communism.� Grogan studies countries that gained independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. She discovered that women living in these areas are less educated, more likely to stay at home and take care of household duties, and more dependent on men for their livelihood than previous generations. Unlike Russia, Moldova and Ukraine, other areas — Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan,Tajikistan and Armenia — have not experi-
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enced industrialization. “Tajikistan is close to 70-per-cent rural, so a majority of the population work as farmers or travel outside of the country in search of jobs,� says Grogan, who lived in the country for three years while conducting her research. “There is no work for women. Women essentially have no role outside of the household. “Under communism, women used to go to school, but that is not the case anymore. Today you will find the grandmother went to school until Grade 11 but her granddaughter can’t read or write. Communists also wanted to break up extended families living together, but now it is typical for several generations to live under one roof in a patrilocal household.� After an arranged marriage, a woman is expected to move in with her mother-in-law and help with household duties while her husband leaves to find work outside the country. Men often start new lives where they are working, so the marriage ends in divorce and the woman is sent back to her own family. Grogan says lack of a viable economy is the main driving force behind these problems. “Until these countries are able to create jobs, not much will change.�
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uth redelmeier and her late husband, Francis, travelled to libraries and archives across North America to learn about the original owners of their family farm near Richmond Hill, Ont. In the University’s McLaughlin Library, they found a wealth of archival material about the pioneering Patterson family and discovered a home for their own extensive farm records. Files accumulated during the 60 years that the Redelmeiers raised Jersey cattle on Don Head Farms and later The Patch Farms are now part of the University’s rural history collection. An event in the library Oct. 15 celebrated the family’s donation of archival material and announced their support of a new professorship in the Department of History. “The creation of the Francis and Ruth Redelmeier Professorship in Rural History speaks to the growth of the College of Arts, now almost 50 years old,� said dean Don Bruce. “It is a vote of confidence in the quality work coming out of our college, and it will allow our scholars to explore new areas of research, teaching and learning.� “This is an exciting and gratifying event for
my family and for me,� said Ruth Redelmeier. She attended the celebration with two of her three children:Virginia McLaughlin, president of Ontario-based Helmhorst Investments Ltd. and a member of the U of G Board of Governors; and Thomas, a 1982 Guelph graduate in agriculture and a biochemist now running Northern Lipids Inc. in British Columbia. Ruth’s son Ted was unable to attend. The event highlighted the history of Don Head Farms from the Patterson brothers, pioneering makers of farm equipment, to the Redelmeiers, who became leaders in the dairy industry and champions of the Jersey breed. Francis’s father purchased the farm in 1940 after the family emigrated from Holland. Francis graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College in 1945 and won numerous breeding and production awards in Canada and internationally. He helped lead several breed associations, the Ontario Milk Marketing Board and the Canadian Livestock Records Corp. Virginia McLaughlin said her father, like her grandfather, tried to stay at the forefront of advanced agricultural technologies. And both were meticulous about keeping records.
Planet Project Biomaterials research grows the bioeconomy
GRAIN FARMERS PARTNER WITH OAC
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friendly alternatives to petroleum-based materials in manufacturing and consumer goods. The centre is directed by Prof. Amar Mohanty, a leader in biomaterials who holds the Premier’s Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation. The BMO gift will help expand the centre’s research and commercialization facilities and acquire cutting-edge research equipment. Phase II of the BDDC facility will be named the BMO Bioproducts Innovation Extension. A philanthropic supporter since its founding in 1817, BMO has supported the University since Guelph’s first capital campaign in 1969. Rob Gordon, dean of the Ontario Agricultural College, said funding for the BDDC recognizes an important and evolving research field. “It’s a catalyst for innovative green products that will ultimately enhance the value of Ontario’s agriculture sector,� he said. “It also provides a training environment that will support global commercialization and job creation in Canada.�
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Winter 2014 9
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o f g ’ s b i o p r o d uc t s Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC) is accelerating research intended to turn crops into green products thanks to a $1.25-million investment from BMO Financial Group. “The support from BMO will allow our researchers to continue to revolutionize the use of plant materials,� said U of G president Alastair Summerlee at the gift announcement in October. “Research at the University of Guelph plays an important role in the advancement of the region’s economy,� said Susan Brown, senior vice-president, Ontario Regional Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. “BMO has a deep relationship with the agricultural community, and this donation will help solidify the University of Guelph as a major centre for agricultural research in Ontario and across the country.� U of G researchers are using wheat, soy, corn and other crops to make car parts, furniture, building materials and new kinds of rubber. BDDC is leading this work to develop renewable, eco-
The BetterPlanet Project 5 5 5 5
BPP Results: Cleaner Air, Better Jobs
Left to right: James and Brenda McIntosh, animal and poultry science chair Andy Robinson and OAC dean Robert Gordon.
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10 The Portico
nutrition research, training and outreach. OAC dean Robert Gordon said the position represents a significant step toward boosting the college’s impact on the industry, nationally and globally.“This leadership gift will help us maintain essential teaching and extension capacity that is relevant to the needs of the industry today and vital for the creation of opportunities for the future.� The candidate will study current industry priorities and issues. For example, feed still represents the main cost of production in the Ontario poultry industry. Global changes affecting corn, soybean and other ingredients have increased feed prices, a trend Gordon said is expected to continue. Research on digestion of feed and absorption of nutrients will help improve producers’ efficiency, he said. “We see a real need and opportunity to support the industry through recruiting an individual who will bring to the University a commitment to work collaboratively and develop a world-class program to address these research opportunities.�
Bill Van Heyst
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a new gue lph profe ssorship in poultry nutrition will receive funding for the next 10 years through a $1-million donation from James and Brenda McIntosh, owners of McIntosh Poultry Farms Ltd. in Seaforth, Ont. The U of G graduates are longtime friends and supporters of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). James McIntosh earned an undergraduate degree from OAC in 1959 and a master’s degree in poultry nutrition in 1961. “My years at the University were enjoyable, both as a time to learn and as a time to make lifelong friendships,� he said. “The OAC is where I met Brenda, my wife and business partner, and the friendships I developed proved invaluable in my career in agriculture. Plus, being a graduate of OAC provided an immediate introduction and connection to others in the agriculture industry who graduated from the same school.� Within the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, the McIntosh Family Professorship in Poultry Nutrition will focus on improving poultry
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With your help, a Gryphon will hatch on campus in Spring 2014. Support the Gryphon Statue and help us make a grand entrance at the corner of Stone and Gordon.
www.uoguelph.ca/helpushatch
On-Line MBA in Sustainable Commerce Sustainable Commerce Matters For more information contact Patti Lago toll free at 1-888-622-2474 or plago@uoguelph.ca
www.uoguelph.ca/cme/mba-sustainable-commerce
50 YEARS A UNIVERSITY – 150 YEARS BY MARY DICKIESON • PHOTOS FROM THE ARCHIVES
ecause of the long history of the University of Guelph’s founding colleges, the institution is rightly credited with 150 years of educational experience. But those colleges were separate schools until 1964, when they were brought together by provincial legislation. So in 2014, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the campus as a fullfledged university with degree-granting powers and financial responsibility vested in an independent board of governors. The idea of establishing a university in Guelph dates back at least as far as 1927. Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) alumni were the first to propose structural change at the Guelph campus. And they persisted through the next 37 years, working mostly behind the scenes to build political support for a plan that would require approval from the premier’s office and legislators at Queen’s Park, as well as the reluctant Ministry of Agriculture, which had complete control over college affairs. In their 1927 brief to the agriculture
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minister, OAC alumni asked that their alma mater be elevated to an agricultural university. They wanted to ensure that agricultural education in Ontario kept pace with the changes they saw in rural society; they wanted OAC research to be determined not by the department of agriculture but by the college faculty who worked directly with the farm community; and they sought alumni representation on an independent board. The future of OAC and its relationship with the Ontario Veterinary College and Macdonald Institute were discussed often during the following decades. Several proposals came forward, and close encounters in 1945 and 1959 saw the governments of the day first announce publicly, then quietly bury, plans to create a university on the Guelph campus. Even in 1962, when the provincial government was expanding Ontario’s university system, the Ministry of Agriculture pushed for a federation of the Guelph colleges as a way to avoid the issue of university status. All this political wrangling is detailed in
the 1989 book Hatching the Cowbird’s Egg written by historian and U of G professor emeritus David Murray. His introduction says the story of how the University came into being is a tale of alumni dedication and the “unremitting efforts” of J.D. “John” MacLachlan, who was president of OAC from 1950 until 1964, when he became the first president of the University of Guelph. MacLachlan reported to the agriculture ministry. He supervised OAC faculty and staff, many of whom were reluctant to give up the security of a civil service pension. He worked with OVC principal Trevor Lloyd Jones and Macdonald Institute head Margaret McCready to accommodate the needs of their colleges. He was the primary contact for OAC alumni, the farm community, Guelph business leaders and students. One can only guess how many proposals MacLachlan wrote and later revised as he tried to divine a path forward for the Guelph campus. The cowbird analogy in Murray’s history came from University of Toronto president
OF EDUCATION Left to right: The first U of G convocation on May 21, 1965. Unlike other new universities, Guelph began with alumni – 10,000 of them. The OAC, OVC and Mac Institute alumni associations worked together to establish the University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) in 1966. Here, UGAA president Gordon Nixon signs the constitution. In 1965, the citizens of Guelph presented U of G with a mace that is used at all convocation ceremonies to symbolize the authority of the University. From left: Guelph mayor Ralph Smith, Board of Governors chair Thomas McEwan and president John MacLachlan.
Sydney Smith in 1957 when he advised MacLachlan to push for university status. “Such an egg would take some time to hatch, whatever the hatcher: cowbird, eagle or bird of paradise,” said Smith. He was aware of Guelph’s unique position in agriculture and rural Ontario – Guelph degrees for all three founding colleges were then awarded by the University of Toronto – but Smith was also responding to the post-war baby boom that promised to double university applications in Canada in the next decade. As a compromise, the Federated Colleges of the Ontario Department of Agriculture was created in 1962 to centralize the administration of the three Guelph colleges. Years later, MacLachlan commented:“That was the most awkward name to be given to any campus.” When university status finally came two years later, Murray tells us, it was announced by then-premier John Robarts without consulting MacLachlan or the other Guelph colleges. Robarts could see that establishing a university here was a cost-effective way to increase capacity in the provincial system,
said Murray. In a 1985 interview, MacLachlan reflected that campus facilities were “of high appeal to the Department of Education. I would be called out every once in a while to check a design concept put together…Then I go over to agriculture and they were very reluctant to do anything. It is natural that they had a fear that if they had a university with at least a thousand students, the old OAC would be just drowned out and disappear. That was a frustrating period for me…But in the end, things fell into place, and agriculture is as strong as it ever was and perhaps much stronger than it ever was before.” The University of Guelph Act passed in the Ontario legislature on May 8, 1964. By September 1965, the University had added Wellington College of Arts and Science, which enrolled 500 students its first year. During MacLachlan’s time, the University grew from 2,200 students to more than 12,000. He later recalled, “I can remember when John Robarts presented this in legislature. I was listening. He talked about having
18,000 to 20,000 students on the campus. I shuddered at the thought.” Today’s University of Guelph – with 22,000 students on the home campus, another 700 at the regional agricultural campuses, and 4,000 at the University of GuelphHumber – is not the cowbird predicted by those who feared the addition of arts and science programs would push the founding colleges into obscurity. Nor was U of G modelled after state-run institutions in the United States. And although it may not be a bird of paradise, Guelph has emerged as one of Canada’s top universities. Under successive presidents William Winegard, Donald Forster, Burton Matthews, Brian Segal, Mordechai Rozanski and Alastair Summerlee, the University has built a reputation for innovative research, student-centred learning and community engagement. Its heritage in agriculture, veterinary medicine and rural communities has proven to be its greatest strength – the beginning of its contributions to the life sciences, the arts and Canadian culture. ■
Winter 2014 13
GROWING UP ON CAMPUS
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h at p r e t e e n b oy could resist a fire hall, especially when it stood almost on his doorstep? Not Richard MacLachlan, who grew up in the President’s House on the campus of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) during the 1950s. Many times, he and his childhood buddy, Mike Downing, hopped onto their bikes and pedalled across College Avenue and down Trent Lane to the fire hall, located just north of today’s Rozanski Hall. Referring to fire chief Vic Richards, MacLachlan says, “Occasionally Vic would let me pull the siren horns, and he also said if we could lift the truck off the ground, we could have it. We used to strain and strain.� Some-
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14 The Portico
times the boys would stuff themselves with “a good healthy meal� and then say, “Let’s go and see if we can lift that fire truck today.� The fire hall and the truck are long gone. But the President’s House – a two-storey Gothic Revival/Italianate house made of stone – still stands across from Creelman Hall. Decades later, it takes little priming for those and other childhood memories to spill out of Richard and his sister, Bonnie.Today Bonnie is emeritus professor of classics at Western University, and Richard is nearing retirement as a professor of family medicine at Dalhousie University. In 1950, she was only six and he just two when they moved with their parents, John Douglas (J.D.) and Carlene MacLachlan, to the stone house on College Avenue after J.D. was appointed OAC president.
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Far left: MacLachlan family portrait taken for a mid-1950s Christmas card: John and Carlene MacLachlan with children Bonnie and Richard. Left: This 1960 aerial view of campus shows many of the buildings and green spaces remembered by Richard and Bonnie MacLachlan during the years they lived on campus. 1 Ravine 2 President’s House 3 Trent Lane 4 Firehall 5 Johnston Hall 6 Creelman Hall 7 Macdonald Hall 8 Macdonald Consolidated School 9 War Memorial Hall 10 Dairy Barn (Located just outside the frame)
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To zoom in on this campus aerial for a closer look, visit: www.uoguelph.ca/theportico.
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Never mind its presidential moniker. Richard says the house was just a great place for childhood games: “front and back stairs, all sorts of closets to hide in, with a big rambling basement.� The basement kitchen housed a huge ironing machine and an electric stove. Says Bonnie, “When Richard was six or so, we were permitted to tap the maple trees on the property and make syrup on the stove in the basement. The effect of all that steam was that the damask wallpaper in the drawing room came off the wall.� Mrs. Atkins was the MacLachlans’ housekeeper. When their parents went out in the evening, the children were still expected to be served meals in the dining room.That was a struggle for Bonnie. “I felt really tugged. I wanted to go and sit with Mrs. Atkins.�
Winter 2014 15
Early on, both children learned to abide by certain rules at home. Says Bonnie: “We were always told firmly that if the conversation over dinner was about faculty, we were never, never to share that information. We knew we were insulated in some way.” Important and interesting people came to the house often. Their mother knew a number of artists, including Group of Seven members A.Y. Jackson and A.J. Casson. Their father entertained a variety of visitors, usually clad in suits and ties but even the occasional kilt. Murdo MacKinnon, founding dean of U of G’s arts and science college, visited one day. “I was intrigued by this man with a skirt on in our living room talking to Father,” says Richard. By then, J.D. MacLachlan was involved in discussions about reshaping the three founding colleges into the Federated Colleges in 1962 as a precursor to obtaining university status two years later. J.D. was then appointed the first president of the University of Guelph. “There was a lot of planning and recruitment in the house,” says Richard. Often there were students in the house, too. Carlene held afternoon receptions for groups, sometimes up to 200 people at a time. Smaller groups also visited, including the “Bursar Buzzards”: female OAC students living in Drew Hall, formerly the home of the campus bursar. “Mom became the students’ honorary mentor,” says Bonnie. “She considered it important to stretch their horizons.” Students wore ties and skirts, and Carlene organized speakers for these occasions. Richard’s recollection of those gatherings involved a different perspective. His mother used to arrange the tea things on a huge drop-leaf table. One occasion sticks in his memory. “As a child, I got under and dropped about 150 china tea cups on the floor. That was a low point.” “Dad was always quite busy,” adds Bonnie. That didn’t prevent him from inviting her to visit his Johnston Hall office, where he might give her a box of paper clips to amuse herself while she half-listened to voices wafting with the pipe smoke through the room. Even better for both children were weekend forays around campus with their father. “Sunday afternoons, Dad tried to spend time with us,” says Bonnie. “A real highlight was when he took us to the dairy
16 The Portico
barn to watch the cows being milked.” Richard wasn’t the only family member drawn to the fire hall. The fire chief often entertained the OAC president. “Arguably he was my father’s closest friend on campus,
house near Watson Hall – now International House but then a women’s residence – were motor transport sheds left over from the Second World War. Parts of campus were occupied in the early 1940s for Royal
probably because my father was down to earth and loved mechanical things but was not mechanically inclined,” says Richard. “I think he discovered Vic Richards could fix anything.” A similar force of gravity pulled Richard and his boyhood buddy to the engineering school – Mike’s dad was engineering professor Glen Downing – where they gawked at splayed-open engines from tractors, airplanes and other machines. In the laundry facility run by Joe Hersey, the namesake of today’s Hersey Building, they marveled at oversized washing and ironing machines. Both Richard and Bonnie found a good friend in Kay Beck, a dietitian at Creelman Hall. Besides providing loaves of bread, she was a great source of box tops that Richard mailed away for free prizes. A boy growing up on campus sometimes wandered into trouble. Just north of their
Canadian Air Force training, and into the 1950s, the sheds were still used for maintaining campus vehicles, including grease pits for changing oil. “One day I was all dressed for church and went in there and fell right in the grease pit. That was not a pleasant time,” remembers Richard. Another sign of those air force years remained in War Memorial Hall. During nondenominational church services there led by the campus chaplain, Richard’s wandering eyes lingered more than once on the ceiling, where two large hooks harked back to a full-size Spitfire hung there during the war. Trouble, or at least pranks, sometimes began with the college students. One night, the MacLachlans were awakened by what Bonnie calls “a great kerfuffle, lights and noise” from Macdonald Hall. A group of Aggies had let loose a bull in the main cor-
ridor. Referring to the then dean and principal of Macdonald Institute, Bonnie says, “Margaret McCready was not amused.” A water tower formerly stood behind Johnston Hall. Students climbed up and
tion worsened just before his teens. To find him a more conducive climate, Carlene took both children to Arizona for two years in the mid-1950s. Earlier they had attended the Macdonald Consolidated School – now
father, who had grown up on a dairy farm near Burritt’s Rapids, Ont. As a young woman, Carlene had hated Long Island. She left for Boston, where she met J.D. MacLachlan, then working on his
Top, left to right: A 1961 portrait of Bonnie MacLachlan that hung over the mantle when she lived in the President’s House; John MacLachlan at the portico on Johnston Green and speaking on a CJOY Radio broadcast from College Royal; Bonnie, left, and Richard MacLachlan present the annual J.D. MacLachlan Scholarship to U of G student Brieanne MacKay in 2013. Bottom, left to right: U of G fire drill, 1968; John MacLachlan skips a 1950s curling game on campus; John and Carlene MacLachlan, left, host a British delegation in 1953, including Britain’s high commissioner to Canada, Sir Archibald Nye and Lady Nye.
added food colouring, and “the water would come green for St. Patrick’s Day.” Students also inscribed slogans on the tower itself. “Dad laid down the law on that, because it was dangerous,” says Bonnie. But one February night brought a whipping blizzard, and the next day a new slogan appeared: “You Must Not Write on This Water Tower.” Students invited Richard and Mike for “pseudo nature explorations” along a creek in the ravine between the President’s House and the Cutten Club (now Cutten Fields). From fish to tadpoles to frogs, Richard says, “We helped the biology students catch things for their term papers.” Their expeditions also prompted more mischief. “We would collect 20 or 30 garter snakes at a time and terrify people on campus.” Richard developed asthma as a preschooler and spent part of his childhood in hospitals in Guelph and Toronto. His condi-
home to the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre. Back in Guelph after their American hiatus, Bonnie went to the University of Toronto for classical studies and then completed graduate studies at the University of Ottawa and U of T. She spent 24 years in the Department of Classical Studies at Western University. Now retired, she still works on ancient Greek history and poetry; in 2014, she will become president of the Classical Association of Canada. Richard also attended U of T; he says he never considered studying anything but medicine. Brother and sister often meet these days in their mother’s family homestead where they spent many childhood vacations. Carlene grew up in rural Nova Scotia on Long Island. In 1973, Richard and Bonnie bought the maternal family house as a retreat. “That to me as a child was heaven,” says Richard. His love for rural living came from their
doctorate at Harvard University. She’d actually met someone else first – a naval doctor in Boston – but she “took up with Father,” as Richard put it. While running one winter day, J.D., then 31, gashed and fractured his right leg. Gangrene set in, and his leg required amputation at mid-thigh. Says Richard: “The surgeon was Mother’s old suitor.” J.D. wore a wooden prosthesis for the rest of his life. Richard has two children: Alice MacLachlan teaches philosophy at York University, and Robin MacLachlan is vice-president of Summa Strategies in Ottawa. Bonnie has three sons. Chris Ward attended U of G, where he met his future wife, Maureen, also a student then. He runs an arborist company near Aurora, Ont. Jeremy Ward is curator of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont. Their half-brother, John Thorp, is an investment manager in New York City. ■
Winter 2014 17
C. difficile STORY BY ANDREW VOWLES | PHOTOS BY DEAN PALMER
THE DOOR’S OPEN TO GUELPH’S SUGAR VACCINE LAB He never quite leaves the chemistry lab behind. Even as he heads home each day,
part of Prof. Mario Monteiro remains in U of G’s MacNaughton Building with his studies of carbohydrate-based vaccines. And that part of him is still there the next morning. “I do wake up thinking about the research,� he says. “It’s not like I close the door.� He’s not a workaholic. After hours, you can often find Monteiro rinkside watching son Alex playing hockey or poolside serving as an official at his other son Marco’s swim meets. But Monteiro says he feels forever driven to seek out relatively untried remedies for serious and sometimes life-threatening diseases caused by nasty bacteria. Take Clostridium difficile, a gastrointestinal (GI) bug that has garnered plenty of headlines in recent years. In most healthy people, it might cause nothing more vexing than a case of diarrhea. In people with weakened immune systems, it’s a bigger problem. It’s especially a major and growing threat to patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities. If a patient’s normal gut microflora has been wiped out by antibiotics, C. diff can overrun the intestinal tract, leading to serious disease and even death. Short of developing new kinds of antibiotics, how best to tackle this threat? Monteiro thinks the answer lies in vaccines – not just conventional protein-based vaccines but ones that target carbohydrates on the bug’s surface. It’s not quite using sugar to help the medicine go down but using medicine to zero in on sugars and “take down� diseasecausing bacteria.
18 The Portico
Working with a team of researchers in two labs, Monteiro is studying sugar-based vaccines for a variety of infectious bugs. Their work with C. diff is expected to pay off with one of the biggest licensing deals done by U of G’s Catalyst Centre. In preclinical work with scientists at Stellar Biotechnologies Inc. in California, Monteiro showed that conjugate (sugar-protein) vaccines can protect against the organism. This past summer, the company announced that it had acquired a licence from U of G to develop therapies against C. diff infection based on the chemist’s work. Under its agreement with Guelph, Stellar paid an upfront licensing fee of more than $300,000 in shares; their value has doubled since the deal went public in late August. No vaccine is ready for public use yet. It takes five to eight years on average for a preliminary vaccine to move through the regulatory approval process, but the company plans to begin human trials this year. “We expect that this vaccine is going to be a win-win for the University and Stellar,� says Dave Hobson, manager of technology transfer at the Catalyst Centre. C. diff wasn’t necessarily Monteiro’s main target when he arrived at Guelph in 2004.
He had worked for the carbohydrate vaccines division of Wyeth (since absorbed by Pfizer) in the United States before coming here. Earlier, he worked at the National Research Council in Ottawa, where he completed a post-doc with the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network. He was interested in developing vaccines against a group of bugs that cause a range of GI disorders. “You sit down and think: How can I use my knowledge?� Back then, he was looking at Campylobacter, another gut microbe that causes food poisoning and neurological problems. This year, the U.S. Naval Office of Research will begin trials with a sugar-based vaccine for Campylobacter jejuni developed here in Monteiro’s lab. With these and other bacteria, he’s taking a little-tried approach. He’s making vaccines based on carbohydrates or carbohydrate-protein complexes. All vaccines provide disease immunity by priming the body’s immune system to “remember� a microorganism during later infection. Most are made from weakened or killed forms of the bacteria, or from toxins or surface protein antigens. Less common are conjugate vaccines that include polysaccharides, or complex chains of sugars on the bug’s surface.
Monteiro and his lab group are looking for That sugars are immunogenic is not a new idea. In the 1920s, American immunologists Michael Heidelberger and Oswald Avery found that pneumococcal polysaccharides were antigenic. Monteiro figures that potential studies of sugar-based vaccines might have occurred then – but along came penicillin. Today, a growing threat of antibiotic resistance to current remedies has pushed scientists to look for other drugs, including sugar-based vaccines. Few companies make carbohydrate-based vaccines because of their complex chemistry, but Monteiro says that’s changing. Spurred by success with Campylobacter and C. diff, he and his lab group are looking to new challenges: “What’s beyond the next door?” One challenge has led the team into looking at gastrointestinal problems associated with a different disorder: autism. More than 80 per cent of children with autism suffer from
20 The Portico
chronic, severe GI symptoms, and 75 per cent of those suffer from diarrhea; currently, doctors use antibiotics to handle most infections. Scientists have found that a relative of C. diff called Clostridium bolteae often shows up in higher numbers in the GI tracts of autistic children than in those of healthy kids. Monteiro has looked at this microbe along with Guelph microbiology professor Emma Allen-Vercoe, who cultures hard-to-grow species of bugs in her lab in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Allen-Vercoe cautions that no one has yet shown that specific GI bacteria cause mental disorders, although research has shown that gut microbiota can affect mood and behaviour. Last year, Monteiro and PhD student Brittany Pequegnat announced that they had developed a carbohydrate-based vaccine intended to reduce GI symptoms caused by C. bolteae. It’s the first-ever vaccine developed for gut bacteria common in autistic children.
“An anti-autism vaccine is actually an anti-diarrheal vaccine,” he says. “Eighty per cent of kids with autism have digestive issues.” Monteiro says it might take more than a decade for a vaccine to work through preclinical and human trials, and even longer before a drug is ready for market. Adds Pequegnat: “I would hope that it is a step in the right direction and aids in subsiding some of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. It would be nice to give them a little more comfort in their lives.” She’s the primary author on the C. bolteae paper published last summer with researchers from U of G and Stellar Biotechnologies. Pequegnat studied applied pharmaceutical chemistry here for her undergrad, including completing co-op placements under Monteiro’s advisement. She had asked him for a reference letter in applying to another university for her master’s. Instead, he persuaded her to study vaccines at Guelph.
new challenges: “What’s beyond the next door.” “I was always interested in pharmaceutical research,” she says. “My best friend was diagnosed with diabetes in Grade 7. It changed how I thought about life. It helped that I was good at math and science.” She decided she wanted to help people cope with illness and improve their lives. Pequegnat began her PhD this year. “I love being in the lab. I never felt more in the right place than when I was in the lab.” She says her supervisor is always supportive. She also likes his work ethic, including his focus on practical results. “It’s not about the recognition. It’s about seeing what you can do to help people.” Good science, she adds, “is not for you. It’s for the end result.” Monteiro echoes the importance of the work ethic. His main peeve: students who are not really interested in research. “When I give them the opportunity, and I don’t see them trying their best: that gets me down.” Like swimmers or hockey players, he says,
“young scientists should be dedicated, hardworking. Hockey players play or practise every day.You don’t score goals or become Gretzky without practising.” Some of that conviction likely stems from his own student days. Monteiro was 14 when his family arrived in Canada from Portugal in 1981. Only a few years earlier, he had been helping to milk his grandfather’s sheep in central Portugal.Then he was taking English as a second language classes and attending high school in Toronto. He paid for university by working two jobs: serving tables at weddings and banquets on weekends, and cleaning schools on weeknights. “Monday mornings I couldn’t stand by the bench because my feet were in blisters,” he says. “That’s part of my fibre. Even when I used to clean schools, I thought I was the best cleaner there was. There has to be pride in what you do.” He completed his PhD at York University
with polysaccharide chemist Gerald Aspinall. Monteiro chose chemistry partly because he’d done well with the physical sciences in high school and partly because he felt the life sciences would have called for better English than he had at the time. Besides, organic chemistry gave him the chance to draw molecular structures. “I doodle a lot.” He had considered studying fine art but changed his mind. Monteiro feels that art and science are parallel worlds, both requiring fine observational skills, an ability he says he honed growing up in the solitude of Portugal’s hills. “People don’t really spend much time thinking about what’s involved in a success story. The stars have to align. It’s about having a vision.” He says the bugs – and the need for inventive ways to stay ahead of them – will always be with us. “There has to be a global need for the solution you’re trying to conjure up.” ■
Winter 2014 21
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ZOO REPRODUCTION SPECIALIST WORKS WITH MANY SPECIES
v e ry day at t h e t o ro n t o z o o feels like a mini-class reunion, says Gabriela Mastromonaco, PhD ’06. She’s curator of reproductive programs and research and believes more than half of the staff at the zoo are Guelph grads. “We either had the same profs or we know somebody who knows somebody.We play six degrees of separation.� While many of her colleagues completed their
undergrad degrees at Guelph, Mastromonaco studied microbiology and human reproduction for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Toronto. Working in a human in vitro fertilization clinic taught her the fundamentals of reproduction, but after working there for two years, she realized, “it’s just one species.� She also had concerns about the ethics of reproductive technology, which was in its infancy at the time.
Winter 2014 23
Mastromonaco then worked as a lab technician with Prof. Keith Betteridge in the reproductive biotechnology lab at U of G, where she specialized in domestic dairy cattle. “He taught me everything I know about IVF.� At 31, she went on to do a PhD in biomedical sciences with Prof. Allan King. Now an adjunct professor at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), she co-supervises grad students with King and collaborates with other U of G faculty. “It’s never too late,� she says of her decision to go back to school. She often advises her students to work after getting their bachelor’s or master’s degree to find out whether their chosen career path is right for them. After working with Betteridge, “I never looked back,� she says. “Then I got a job here (at the zoo) and realized the more species the better.� Referring to Betteridge and King, “they set the foundation for bovine IVF embryo production worldwide.� Since then, advances in genomic research have improved the success rates of IVF technology. But as with human IVF treatment, challenges remain. Just because a lab can create embryos in a Petri dish doesn’t mean those embryos will be viable once they’re implanted, says Mastromonaco. “Embryos are like canaries in coal mines; they are sensitive to everything environmental.� Mouse embryos, for example, are used to test toxin levels in water. When exposed to even the lowest level of toxins, these embryos will die.
24 The Portico
Mastromonaco now oversees the reproduction of all animals at the Toronto Zoo. When she started working there, she had to apply her knowledge of dairy cattle reproduction to more exotic animals, such as rhinos and zebras. “Guelph is a resource for me,� she says, adding that she often consults with U of G faculty who specialize in related animals to get breeding tips. Reptiles, for example, are closely related to birds, so when she needed expert advice on reptile reproduction, she consulted chicken experts in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science. Zebras are much like horses with stripes, and their reproductive biology is quite similar, so she consulted with equine faculty at OVC. “They’re just an amazing resource,� says Mastromonaco. “I take what they know from the domestic world and extrapolate it to what I need to do with the non-domestic species.� She describes herself as a generalist who knows about a lot of species but relies on the expertise of U of G faculty who specialize in individual species. As part of her work in Toronto, Mastromonaco collaborates with zoos and conservation programs across Canada and around the world, providing assistance with monitoring hormones and freezing sperm. The zoo has partnered with Parks Canada, for example, on a bison preservation project.Working with the Ministry of Natural Resources in several provinces, Mastromonaco’s team is assisting with a caribou population health study. Using hair samples from caribou, zoo staff can determine the animals’ stress levels. The Toronto Zoo’s most visible breeding program, however, is focused on the Chinese pandas Er Shun and Da Mao.The giant pandas arrived in March 2013 as part of a long-term conservation partnership agreement between China and Canada. Since their arrival, Er Shun and Da Mao have become the Will and Kate of the animal kingdom as the world eagerly anticipates a new addition to the royal panda family. Since pandas only mate for a few days a year, “the short window makes them a very difficult animal to breed,� says Mastromonaco. The fertility of most animals is seasonal, but pandas are only fertile for up to 72 hours a year. In the wild, pandas are solitary creatures, so they’re kept in separate enclosures at the zoo until the time is right for them to breed. “They wouldn’t get along any other time of the year,� says Mastromonaco. Although the pandas can see, smell and hear each other, they won’t have any physical contact until the big
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day. When that happens, their behavioural compatibility will determine whether they are suitable mates.Their “first date� could be a match made in heaven – or not. They may show no interest in each other or they may fight. If they’re not compatible, artificial insemination will be used to give Mother Nature a helping hand. Since both pandas were raised in captivity, they didn’t receive any “sex education� in the wild. “Animals don’t always know what to do when they don’t have adults teaching them,� says Mastromonaco. “In captivity, they don’t have the chance to learn, so the males are clueless.The female might present and he doesn’t know what to do with her.� Some zoos have even resorted to using “panda porn� to get the bears in the mood. Before the breeding season begins, the pandas’ hormone levels are measured regularly using urine samples to determine when the female is in heat.Testosterone levels in the male peak for a longer period of time, which could lead to aggression with an unresponsive female. Hormone tests are conducted every two weeks in January and February. By March, the pandas undergo daily tests.When their hormone levels begin to peak, their urine is tested twice a day. Predicting panda fertility is such an exact science, it can be narrowed down to the hour. A panda’s gestation can vary from three to five months. A process known as diapause allows the mother panda to “arrest the embryo,� says Mastromonaco. “It sits dormant, free-floating until the mother gives a signal. We don’t
know what the signal is.� In polar bears, it’s believed that they need to put on a certain amount of body fat before the embryo can implant itself in the uterine wall. Once the embryo implants, the panda’s progesterone levels will begin to increase, which is the first sign of pregnancy. At birth, a baby panda is about the size of a stick of butter. Since the baby is so vulnerable at this stage, “The first three months of the baby’s life are absolutely critical for health and nutrition,� says Mastromonaco. If the mother shows signs of being an unfit parent or is unable to lactate, the baby will be removed and raised by zoo staff. Feeding a baby panda poses another challenge because there’s no commercially available formula for pandas like there is for other animals. In some cases, zoo staff use human baby formula for primates, but there is no equivalent for pandas. “Every step of the way is difficult: the breeding, the waiting for the pregnancy, the birth, the first six months of their lives,� says Mastromonaco. “They’re not a robust species.� Their vulnerability, she adds, makes them the poster bear for conservation. Even slight changes to their habitat can affect their chance of survival into adulthood and fertility. She points to “human-impacted change,� such as climate variations and deforestation, as the main reasons behind the declining panda population in the wild. " + +" "
Winter 2014 25
THE BEST CAREER CHOICE IS ONE THAT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED
usan murch didn’t plan to become a champion for the tropical breadfruit tree. Nor did she study chemistry as a Guelph undergrad because she wanted to prove that plants benefit from the same hormones that humans do. “I didn’t have a plan,” she says of her research career. She just followed the science she found most interesting. With a B.Sc. earned in 1988, Murch landed a technician’s job on campus, first with former animal science professor Ron Ball, then with Praveen Saxena in plant agriculture. Saxena’s lab sparked her interest in plant chemistry and tissue culture. She started a master’s degree in horticulture in 1995, finished her PhD in 2000 and stayed on in Saxena’s lab as a post-doc. “I was really interested in what I was doing,” she says. Analyzing the chemical composition of medicinal plants like St. John’s wort, Murch was looking for the active ingredients in centuries-old traditional medicines and asking how they work. Almost any plant growing wild or in your garden will display as many as 30,000 distinct chemicals, she says. “Depending on the species, we know something about 1,100 of them.” Her PhD research led to a paper describing how St. John’s wort and feverfew produce melatonin and serotonin, chemicals we humans use to induce sleep and combat depression. But what do they do for the plant? “We were the first to trace the path for melatonin synthesis, showing that the chemical is produced by the growing plant,” says Murch. She demonstrated that inhibiting the plant’s production of these hormones disturbed its development – a first step toward understanding how the plant uses melatonin. These questions still intrigue her and are central to her work now as a Canada Research Chair in Natural Products Chemistry at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. Deciphering chemical reactions in medicinal plants is a major component of Murch’s basic research in plant signalling, and those efforts inform other studies aimed at cloning and propagating plants of commercial value. It’s a strategy adopted from her work at U of G. “One of the amazing things about the graduate program at Guelph is that it allows you to do both basic research and research with a practical application,” says Murch. “I have two graduate degrees from the Ontario Agricultural College; that school especially tends to encourage projects that make a real difference in the world in a relatively immediate fashion.
26 The Portico
“My experience at Guelph has, of course, influenced my teaching and my research goals here at UBC.” Those goals include understanding the role chemicals play in plant development and harnessing that knowledge to help preserve endangered plants and improve food security for humans. Over the last decade, Murch has used in vitro tissue culture techniques to propagate and produce numerous plant species, most notably breadfruit trees.There are 28 breadfruit varieties in culture in her Okanagan lab, and more than 35,000 trees grown from tissue culture have been donated to 23 tropical communities that lack a sustainable food supply. This project began shortly after Murch was recruited from U of G for a two-year fellowship at the U.S. National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii. The Breadfruit Institute was started there by ethnobotanist Diane Ragone to preserve traditional varieties of breadfruit and to help feed the hungry. It’s a different approach to growing a sustainable local food system, says Murch. More than 80 per cent of the world’s hungry live in tropical and subtropical regions. Breadfruit trees grow well in that climate, some varieties producing up to 400 kg of food per year – eight times the yield of rice. “We’re giving communities trees that will produce food for the next 70 to 100 years,” says Murch. Breadfruit trees have grown in the tropics for centuries, but many varieties are dying out because of drought, storm damage and human neglect. Some of the 200 varieties growing at the Breadfruit Institute have only one tree remaining. Murch considers the breadfruit collection and the botanical garden itself to be among the world’s great genetic resources. “The scientific part of botanical gardens is not well understood by the general public,” she says. “Their collections of rare and special plants are really important for conservation and the development of underutilized crops.” In Hawaii, Murch brought many of the botanical garden’s rare plants into tissue culture. She worked with 60 different plant species and says the breadfruit was by far the hardest to culture. “Every variety seems to have its own special requirements for regeneration.” She continued the breadfruit project when she joined the faculty at UBC’s new Okanagan campus in 2005. The first yields from trees grown from her tissue cultures were harvested in Hawaii in 2011 and in Jamaica in 2013. It takes about two years before the trees produce football-sized prickly green breadfruit.
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Last summer, Murch organized the first North American meeting of the International Society for Plant Signaling and Behavior. Held in Vancouver, the meeting attracted scientists who, like her, are interested in the way plants respond to environmental stimuli: changes in temperature, sunlight and moisture levels, and attacks by disease-causing organisms, insects or humans. Among those attending was U of G grad Max Jones, B.Sc. ’04 and M.Sc. ’06. He was also the first PhD student Murch supervised at UBC-Okanagan and is now back at Guelph as a post-doc. He says the research he’s pursuing in Praveen Saxena’s elm recovery project is a natural extension of the tree biology work he did with breadfruit. “Susan gave me a lot of support and opportunities I
couldn’t find in other places,� says Jones. He had contemplated a doctoral program in the United States but found the opportunities there were limited. Murch balances her own academic career with what she describes as a “pretty traditional� family life. She’s been married 26 years to Robert Murch, a sculptor who designs and manufactures pulp-era miniature action figures for collectors and gamers. Their son, Spencer, was two when Susan started graduate school at U of G; now he’s applying to grad school himself. His mom says: “He’s interested in brain function.� And his mom knows a good career strategy when she hears one. + " +
Winter 2014 27
BIOLOGIST USES ABORIGINAL KNOWLEDGE TO TEACH SCIENCE
t was a winter day in 1977, and Cheryl Bartlett was nervous.Very nervous. She was going to embark on a career path that would ultimately include developing a new scientific strategy as a professor at Cape Breton University, earning a Canada Research Chair and being named to the Order of Canada. But on this cold morning, Bartlett had a more pressing concern. She was about to share a secret with her master’s adviser, Prof. Roy Anderson. The chair of the former zoology department at U of G had been her mentor for several months by then. She loved working with him, but the thought of facing him this day was intimidating. Bartlett, a parasitology student, planned to confess that she had been playing right wing on the Gryphon women’s hockey team since September. Her fellow graduate students in Anderson’s lab warned against it. “Roy wants you to work your arse off, no time for hockey,” one said. But the strain of conducting research and playing hockey was too much. She had to tell him. His response surprised her. “I knew you were playing,” Anderson said with a smile. “And I’m glad that you are. It’s important to have a balanced life.” She ended up playing for three years during her master’s and PhD. Today Bartlett laughs as she looks back on that moment with her adviser, who died in 2001. “Roy wanted us to push ourselves, but he did not want us to become slaves to the job,” she says. One of her undergrad professors at the University of Alberta had encouraged Bartlett to study with Anderson. “Roy was a remarkable supervisor, very passionate, and he ensured we knew how to write scientific manuscripts,” she says. “He allowed students to pursue topics that were truly their choice. It was then that I started to think my passion could become my career.” Other Guelph faculty — Ian Barker, Reggie Thompson and Patrick Woo — also influenced her future teaching style. And while she rarely makes it back to campus, she still thinks about her time outside of the lab. There was the Keg (now the Brass Taps), where she spent many hours with friends. “We talked about work and, at times, about everything but work.” She often visited the Arboretum. “I spent a lot of time walking, taking in the sights, smells and sounds. I still remember the hot summers and cicadas.” Bartlett spent snowy days tobogganing with friends in the dairy field, and she regularly climbed the Gor-
28 The Portico
don Street hill. “Every day, I walked up it straight to the dug-out coffee shop in Massey Hall, and got a muffin and a coffee to start my day.” After completing her PhD in 1984, she worked for a year in France as a researcher before returning to Guelph to work with Anderson again. In 1989, she got word of a new posting at Cape Breton University (CBU). Intrigued by the chance to work full-time in academia and live in a new part of Canada, she loaded up her car and drove east. At CBU, she taught biology and led NSERC-funded research on nematode parasites in wild animals and the diseases they cause. She was also an assistant editor for many years with the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. But she noticed an odd phenomenon on her Sydney, Nova Scotia, campus: among dozens of aboriginal students at the university, few took sciences. A native elder, Murdena Marshall, who was involved in the Mi’kmaq Nation, told Bartlett that native students felt university science programs never touched on aboriginal knowledge. That was a spark for Bartlett. She and Marshall worked for four years to develop a new program called Integrative Sciences (IS) that blended aboriginal knowledge with western science. “There was initial resistance from many faculty,” Bartlett recalls, “but the negative feedback helped us develop answers for why this was important. It was to look at science with a new perspective and use aboriginal knowledge to find answers.” The first class began in 1999. Shauna Francis was one of the first students. “Cheryl was our mentor, student adviser and mom,” says Francis, now a Grade 6 teacher. “My first class with her, I thought this old woman was crazy taking on a new science program. Her teaching style was so bizarre, with a lot of jumping up and down, but she had my total attention.” At first, the IS program did well. In 2002, Bartlett was awarded Canada Research Chair funding for the program. A lack of administrative support caused the program to struggle; no new students were accepted after 2007, and Bartlett took early retirement in 2012. She spends time with her husband, George Troicuk, and their three dogs. She enjoys the outdoors, volunteering in the community, gardening and camping. Recently, a renewed commitment from administration to support the program has brought her back to CBU as a consultant. “Having aboriginal and western sciences work together brings more perspectives into play, and the more of these you have, the better you can
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see,� Bartlett explains. Just after retiring, she was named to the Order of Canada for her work in science. Her friends in the aboriginal communities had nominated her. “It was a surprise, and I wish I could share it with everyone who worked on the IS program.� For Bartlett, the chance to work in a field she is pas-
sionate about, and to make a difference in the lives of people in the community, are all the thanks she needs. “This has been a most rewarding phase of my life. I’ve made new relationships, learned new ways of understanding knowledge systems and been a part of something special.� * " * "
Winter 2014 29
at and Dennis Mighton’s first date was probably their most expensive.Their courtship began more than 50 years ago, when Dennis’s father, Earl, was president of the Ontario Agricultural College Alumni Foundation. Earl, BSA ’31, presented Pat with a $1,000 scholarship to OAC when she graduated from high school. After seeing her frosh photo – there was no Facebook back then – Dennis asked her out for a date even though they had never met. “I phoned her up one night and said: ‘You don’t know me, but my dad gave you $1,000.Would you like to go for coffee?’� Although she agreed to the date, Pat soon had second thoughts. Then she did the same as Dennis: she looked up his frosh photo and liked what she saw. Their first date was in the “Lounge� coffee shop in the basement of the Massey Hall Library. Dennis says he was drawn to Pat because “she looked interesting� and she was an OAC student like him. Pat admits she was smitten when Dennis showed up wearing a red leather Aggie jacket. They started dating in second year, got engaged in third year and married after fourth year. Together they have many fond memories of U of G, including the time they built a Homecoming float with the help of James Stevens, now professor emeritus in the Department of Physics. They learned an important physics lesson when the float they were building on the second storey of the professor’s barn fell through the floor. Having grown up in the city, Pat loved farm animals, and she took every opportunity after class to visit the campus sheep barn, now Alumni House. In her fourth year, she was named
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The Portico
Look for the Mightons in U of G’s anniversary video at www.uoguelph.ca/50.
grand champion sheep showman at College Royal and won a wool blanket. Dennis was director of the College Royal queen contest in which female students were judged for their poise and public speaking skills. They also played sports. Pat was on the women’s varsity hockey team, and Dennis was on the men’s wrestling team. “I played hockey very poorly; Denny wrestled very well,� says Pat. “Not that well,� Dennis recalls. “I let other things get in the way.� Sneaking into Pat’s residence room in Bursar (now Drew) Hall after the 11 p.m. curfew might have been one of those distractions. When a campus police officer saw him enter the residence after hours, Dennis hid in Pat’s
closet. “It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time,� he says. The Mightons now live on a farm in New Dundee, Ont.They’ve remained close friends with some of their OAC classmates and have celebrated every New Year’s Eve with them since 1960. They plan to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in France with their daughters, Wendy Eastman, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’91, and Kathy Mighton; and their families. In June, they’ll be on campus serving as co-chairs of Alumni Weekend. “We look back very fondly on our time at OAC,� says Dennis. Pat adds, “Meeting at Guelph has really influenced our lives in every way imaginable.� ! " "! !
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t is my pleasure to wish U of G alumni a happy new year. The University will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014, and we are preparing for an exciting year to honour this important milestone. I look forward to seeing many grads return to campus to join in the festivities. We will also close The BetterPlanet Project’s $200-million fundraising campaign in 2014. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, donors and friends, we have reached 85 per cent of our goal. The BetterPlanet Project (BPP) has resonated with a wide range of alumni and friends, attracting more than 40,000 new donors and more than 62,000 supporters in total. The impact of their gifts is being felt in many areas. Here on campus, BPP gifts have provided 16 new academic chairs, new funding for six existing chairs, gifts and pledges for 487 new student scholarships and travel grants, and new funding for 474 existing student support programs. Beyond the campus, BPP-supported
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researchers are working to revive the American elm tree by cloning survivors and reproducing a tree resistant to Dutch elm disease. U of G has created the world’s first reference library of DNA barcodes to help protect endangered species, monitor the environment and fight disease. U of G scientists have successfully turned plant materials into unique bio-based plastics and bioproducts such as car parts. And health sciences researchers have uncovered ways to treat anemia in humans and developed new vaccines to prevent serious gastrointestinal infections. These are only a few examples of important accomplishments supported by the BetterPlanet Project.The impact to date is remarkable, but we can accomplish even more. I hope you will join the 16,330 alumni who have already supported the campaign. Help us continue to change lives and improve life, here at home and around the world.
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Enjoying the afternoon at Terroir Extraordinaire are, from left: alumni Peter Hannam and his daughter, Carol; their spouses, Tony Jelich and Sandra Hannam; and U of G staff Jason Moreton, assistant vice-president (alumni advancement), and Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic).
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6 7,!5 1!5*.5 ! . *--, More than 120 hockey alumni and friends attended the fifth annual Hockey Day in Gryphonville on Nov. 16. Former varsity players enjoyed a shinny game, met coach Shawn Camp and toured the Gryphon locker room. During dinner at Cutten Fields, the 1993-1994 OUAA champions were honoured along with the 1957-1958 Gryphon team, which has raised more than $150,000 in the last five years for the Al Singleton Scholarship. Pictured here are 1993-1994 and current Gryphon players.
322")25 3 2 "2 )( )23 n Sept. 21, Linamar Corp. CEO Linda Hasenfratz, centre, and her husband, Ed Newton, hosted almost 300 guests at Terroir Extraordinaire, a fundraising event held at their home in Guelph. In the last three years, Terroir Extraordinaire has raised more than $300,000 for The BetterPlanet Project.Thanking the couple is Maureen Mancuso, U of G provost and vice-president (academic).
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%631;:? >> >;2? >*:*>8? 7;*>98<= eginning in 1904 as a “meeting for conversation,� Conversat was a key social event for faculty, staff, students and friends of the University’s founding colleges. The campus tradition continued into the 1980s and is being revived this year on Alumni Weekend to celebrate the University's 50th anniversary. The 2014 Conversat will be the signature event of the year, involving all colleges and many service units across campus. A large tent on Johnston Green will host a reception and dinner for 800 guests. Another 1,200 tickets are available for evening entertainment to be held at locations in and around the
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University Centre. One ticket will give visitors access to six themed venues from the past or the future: British Invasion, Space Odyssey, Casablanca, Speakeasy, CafĂŠ Nostalgia and Reunion at the ‘Ring. All venues will have entertainment, a complimentary signature drink, savouries and sweets. Guests will return to Johnston Green for a champagne buffet and fireworks at midnight. Party-goers who haven’t had enough may attend an alcohol-free all-night dance in the Bullring. Purchase tickets individually or for a table for 10. Visit www.alumni. uoguelph.ca/conversat or call 519-8244120, Ext. 56934, or 1-888-266-3108.
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Winter 2014
his 1981 Heather Cooper painting was featured on U of G liaison material until 1987. Guelph’s horse poster became a popular collector’s item, and thousands were printed during the six-year recruitment campaign. The original painting still hangs in the McLaughlin Library, depicting the white Hanoverian stallion, which ties U of G to the City of Guelph’s royal history, and the winged horse, Pegasus, the symbol of poetic inspiration.
t took three months to plan and 300 people to execute, but the prank was memorable. Engineering students moved the cannon to the front of the Thornbrough Building one snowy March night in 1998, using the principles learned in their first-year mechanics course. “I was managing the process and telling everyone when to pull and push. A lot of engineering went into the way we moved it; it was quite ingenious,� says Tej Gidda, B.Sc. ’96, M.Sc. ’97 and PhD ’04. Students hoisted the 6,000-pound gun barrel onto a specially built wooden cart and wheeled it in front of the Thornbrough Building, where they removed the wheels. The escapade involved hydraulic jacks, lots of rope and muscle, and two diversions: a snowball fight and fireworks. For the next week, Gidda and others sanded away accumulated paint down to the original cast iron. After other students tried to move the cannon back to Branion Plaza, the University used a crane to return it safely to its base.
The Portico
Peer Helpers
Elton John in a U of G T-shirt
of G’s award-winning Peer Helper Program began in the 1984 winter semester when 12 students signed up to run the Connection Desk. In the 30 years since, more than 2,400 students have held peer helper placements across campus – students helping students. Because that’s worth a celebration, the Peer Helper Program is asking all its alumni – peers and supervisors alike – to share their stories, photos and memories. Contact Daniel Poulin at peer@uoguelph.ca. Maybe you even know who’s who in the 1990s photo above.
uring the early years of the University, one of the biggest changes in campus life concerned the rights of female students. In 1964, women still had to wear skirts and nylons and sign in and out of residence. The women’s week-night curfew was 11 p.m. Men were allowed only in the first-floor common rooms except on Mac formal night, when the rules were: “Doors open and both feet on the floor.� By 1970, both female and male students
t was March 1976 when a black limo pulled up to the then new University Centre and Elton John climbed out. He was staying in Toronto to record an album and made the trip to Guelph after receiving an invitation from a small group of students led by Allan Scott, B.Comm. ’76, and Nancy Jarrell, BA ’77. They managed to slip a note under the rock star’s hotel door. Scott admits they were surprised when John’s assistant called to accept the invitation. University administrators didn’t believe them, so there was a last-minute scramble to set up microphones for what turned into a two-hour Q&A in Peter Clark Hall.Word of mouth brought out about 1,000 students for what The Ontarion called “a coup in impromptu entertainment.� “University always has great memories for anyone who attends, but being bold enough to invite a rock star to talk was one of my highlights of attending Guelph,� says Scott.
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were liberated from such protective rules, alcohol was allowed on campus, and U of G residences offered education and leadership training instead of regulation.
Read more about these and other memorable moments at U of G: www.uoguelph.ca/theportico.
Winter 2014
various capacities in Malaysia’s department of agriculture. ■Hannelore (Hanna) Koehler, B.Sc. ’68, is taking interest courses at U of G. She walks two km from her rural property in Rockwood to catch the GO bus to campus. Last winter, she missed the bus and hitchhiked into Guelph so she wouldn’t miss class.
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When the Witherspoon family got together last summer, the U of G alumni and student contingent posed for a photo.
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Richard Philp, DVM ’57, has released the book Ecosystems and Human Health:Toxicology and Environmental Hazards, third edition, by Taylor and Francis Group, CRC Press. He has also written a historical fiction called
The Portico
Loyalist Rifleman that takes place during the War of 1812 and is available on the website of publisher Friessen Press.
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Binti Airmy, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’69, of Subang Jaya, has retired after more than 30 years in
John Burka, M.Sc. ’74 and PhD ’76, recently retired from the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island after teaching veterinary pharmacology since the doors opened in 1986. He was named professor emeritus in 2013. His research spanned 40 years and resulted in more than 100 publications on topics related to airway smooth muscle pharmacology and resistance mechanisms of sea lice to antiparasitic drugs used in salmon aquaculture. ■Lawrence Cornett, BA’70, of Picton, Ont., volunteers with the local hospital auxiliary and pours wine at the Regent Theatre wine bar. He’s adding a cold-climate viticulture specialty to his writing portfolio. ■Major-General Timothy Grant, B.Sc. ’79, joined the Alberta government in 2008 after a 31-year career in the Canadian Forces. He was appointed deputy minister of justice and deputy solicitor general for Alberta in September. Previous positions with the province included deputy minister of transportation and assistant deputy minister of energy. ■Michael Kral, BA ’79, completed a PhD in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles and another PhD in medical anthropolo-
gy at McGill University in Montreal. He is an associate professor of psychology and anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and does most of his research with Inuit in Nunavut. U of G friends may contact him at mkral@illinois.edu. ■Craig Pearson, M.Sc. ’71, was dean of the Ontario Agricultural College from 2001 to 2006 and later moved to the University of Melbourne where he established the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. Retiring in July 2013, he moved with his wife, June, to Canberra to be closer to family and their beach house. He still does some consulting and pro bono board memberships, and has received honorary professorships at the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Canberra and the University of Melbourne. ANU and Melbourne are ranked as Australia’s top two universities and are among the top 70 institutions in the world. ■Patrick Quinn, BA ’72, is university provost at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) in the city of Baku. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. He says ADA is a new university that is experimental in its offerings. “The nation is trying very hard to overturn years of Soviet education and looks to the West for its academic philosophy and direction. Much of what I learned at U of G has informed my academic career, and I am hoping that, at some point in the future, Guelph and ADA can find some common links to develop exchanges and projects.�
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will climb in memory of her husband, who died in 2012. “One of the best pieces of advice I was given after Bob passed away was that, whenever someone extends an invitation to go someplace or do something, just say ‘yes.’ Look where it’s taking me now: to the top of the world. I am looking forward to raising money for a great cause and to conquering Kilimanjaro.�
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Jill (Devaney) Weston, B.A.Sc. ’79, and Richard Weston, B.Sc. ’79 and DVM ’86, wish to remind everyone of the Conversat Ball held in Peter Clark Hall 35 years ago on Feb. 3, 1978. The ball was held on a Friday with music by “Opus 11� and a “Clair de Lune� theme.
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Tom Reaume, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’71, has written an illustrated ebook on the natural history of the American crow which is available for free download at www.tom4crows.com. He says the crow deserves admiration for its courage in dealing with its No. 1 enemy: humans. Reaume developed a love of birds and all animals and plants during his youth in Ontario’s Essex County. He not only
The Portico
researched and wrote the book but also did the layout, imaging, design and proofing. ■Joyce Rees, B.A.Sc. ’75, is president of Advitek Inc., a market research company started along with her late husband, Bob, in Toronto in 1982. From Feb. 25 to March 12, she will join a group of climbers on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of the Canadian charity WaterCan. Rees
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Allan Scott, B.Comm. ’76, says he is easing into retirement after 25 years in commercial real estate in Toronto. After graduating from Guelph, he completed an MBA at York University, then worked in hotels and owned restaurants before moving into real estate. His son, Cameron, graduated from U of G’s business school in 2013, see page 46. Allan has been active in alumni affairs for years, serving on the advisory board for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, spending two years as president of its alumni association and helping to establish the annual CME/HTM golf day. He was equally active as a student: he played football for the Gryphons and was president of the ski club and his graduating class. Allan was also a key player in the student initiative that saw Elton John visit the campus in 1976. Read more about this adventure online at www.uoguelph.ca/theportico.
Valerie Jenner, BA ’81, has completed certification as a greenhouse gas quantifier at the University of Toronto’s School of the Environment. ■Tamby Pillai, BA ’84, is a professional master of ceremony, newscaster, public speaker and events consultant. In his home country of Malaysia, he has handled numerous events for the royal family and chief ministers, and organized countless corporate events. He was MC for the Miss Malaysia Universe, Miss Malaysia Earth and Mrs. Malaysia World from 2001 to 2007. Learn more at www.prproject.com.my. ■Elizabeth Szilassy, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’82, is a technical assessor in the local secretary of agriculture of Brejo da Madre de Deus, located in Pernambuco state in northeast Brazil. She has worked in rural development in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco for more than 30 years. She will host her niece, Annie Krueger, from February to April. Krueger is from the London,
and Development C etterPlanet Project helps scientists at the Bioproducts Discovery entre The B a c r p m a o r r t s f h w e , a y a o t g s , n corn and othe d u se r crops to make everythin d fuel. biodegradable plastic wrap, to furniture an
The University of Guelph’s expertise in environmental science is critical to protecting resources and preserving the Earth’s biodiversity.
Help us do more. www.thebetterplanetproject.ca
Winter 2014
Ont., area and plans to enrol at U of G in September to study biotechnology. Szilassy welcomes contact from other U of G alumni at bethamas@gmail.com.
antibody-based and cellular immunity to influenza viruses; links among immunity, viral evolution and pathogenicity; and evaluating and improving influenza vaccination. After completing degrees in veterinary medicine and immunology at U of G, he received a PhD in virology at McMaster University. He went on to research fellowships at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and was an assistant professor at Massachusetts and Michigan State University.
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Ian York, DVM ’85 and M.Sc. ’90, delivered the annual Schofield Lecture Nov. 13 at the Ontario Veterinary College. He leads a vaccine development team in the immunology and pathogenesis branch of the influenza division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta. He studies
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Louis Marrone, BA ’92 in philosophy, is now project manager of large-scale sports events such as the Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest.
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Adrian Baldauf, BA ’04,
and other participants in the Spectra Talent Contest recorded the song “If You’re Not Here At Christmas� last fall to benefit the Rainbow Association of Canadian Artists, a registered non-profit organization that celebrates diversity in musical expression. Thanks to iTunes pre-sales, the CD hit No. 1 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Canadian singles chart and was certified gold by Music Canada. ■Rosario Castanon, B.Sc. ’06 and M.Sc. ’10, of Manotick, Ont., writes with news of her partner, Ryan Boutilier, B.Sc. ’07 and M.Sc. ’12. He suffered a traumatic brain injury after a two-storey fall in May 2012, not long after defending his master’s thesis on coral-algae physiology in the Department of Integrative Biology. She writes: “His recovery has been nothing short of incredible. However, his deficits
are heartbreaking, as his brain language centres have been affected. Ryan now suffers aphasia.� Castanon says Boutilier will attend a month-long program to treat aphasia at Dalhousie University. “His family has started an online fundraiser to raise enough funds to send him to this costly treatment. Please share his story.� For more information, search for Ryan Boutilier on YouCaring.com.
Make your legacy a better planet. For information on bequests and planned giving, please contact Ross Butler 519-824-4120, ext. 56196, rbutler@uoguelph.ca, or visit www.alumni.uoguelph.ca
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Help us do mor more. e. We W e need mor more e support fr from rom o alumni to have an even gr greater eater impact on the ar areas eas that matter most to all of us. Y Your our o dona donation has an impact for both the university and society society.. With With your help we are are able to invest in teaching and lear ning, faculty, faculty, research, research, scholarships and facilities. learning, Help us cr create eate ground ground breaking breaking discoveries, innovative technologies and build on our legacy of caring for our neighbours, near and far far..
Join the 16,330 alumni who have made a gift. To T o donate: www www.thebetterplanetproject.ca .thebetterplanetproject.ca Winter 2014
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Carrie Charles, BA ’00, and Jen Hajt were guests on the Marilyn Denis Show last June, promoting their invention the “Naked Nursing Tank� and discussing what it’s like to be Mompreneurs. Learn more about their business at www.nakedtank.com. ■Sunil Ram, MA ’02, has returned to U of G to complete a PhD in political science after teaching at the American Military University in West Virginia and consulting in the fields of peacekeeping, military affairs and the Middle East. Ram served in the Canadian Forces from 1980 to 1999. A drawing of him in his uniform was completed in 2012 by Canadian military artist Trudy Kearns. The drawing will be part of a 2014 Alberta exhibit called “Forging a Nation: Canada Goes to War� that will be shown January through March at the
Military Museum in Calgary and June through December at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. ■Elizabeth Monier-Williams, MA ’02, is marketing and communications manager at MaRS Innovation in Toronto. She works with start-up companies at MaRS Innovation and writes a blog called “The Analytic Eye.� One of her blog posts was published as a chapter in The Business Book of Awesome in 2011; her December 2012 TEDxWaterlooWomen talk addressed the need for new stories about female superheroes. In November 2013, she co-led an Indiegogo campaign to fund Ontario research for a breast cancer innovation called WaveCheck. ■Julia Woodhall-Melnik, BA ’07 and MA ’09, received her PhD in sociology from the University of Waterloo in 2013.
Put me to work
Hire Hire a co-op student for the SUMMER 2014 work term The Portico
Begin posting jobs January 6th, 2014 Interviews begin January 24th, 2014
www.recruitguelph.ca www .recruitguelph.ca
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toral research award in Canada. She studies the effects of secreted bacterial proteins on human cellular processes, including proteolysis, and their contribution to virulence. ■Lauren MacAlpine, B.Sc. ’11, has completed a two-year professional master’s degree in occupational therapy at Dalhousie University and works at Ongwanada Hospital in Kingston, Ont. ■Cameron Scott, B.Comm. ’13, is a project co-ordinator with a small software company that designs programs for insurance companies. At ISI-Insurance Systems Inc., he co-ordinates new system design programs with a team of 30 young computer software developers. He invites other Guelph grads to visit his LinkedIn site for job opportunities at ISI-Insurance, where he also looks after recruitment.
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Tegan Buckingham, BA ’12, completed a master’s degree at Ryerson University in October. ■Laurie Graham, MFA’10, recently released her first book of poetry. Published by Hagios Press in Regina, Sask., Rove is a long poem that looks at the colonial settlement of the prairies – from homesteading to the proliferation of the suburbs – all through the lens of a single family line. ■Rachel Korosec, B.Comm. ’13, is a postgraduate student at the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, where she studies public relations. ■Natalie Marshall, B.Sc. ’12, has been awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for PhD studies in microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia. This scholarship is the most prestigious doc-
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Spread Your Wings University of Guelph Alumni Travel 2014 Educational Travel for Alumni and Friends
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Winter 2014
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schlegel villages has expanded their family! Now Guelph has two great options in seniors care! Both villages specialize in full service, memory & assisted care. Experience the care and compassion of village life in one of our Guelph locations!
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Impact of Giving Thank you to the 13,818 alumni and friends, corporations, associations and foundations who made gifts to the University last year. Your support continues to make a difference. Please visit the Impact of Giving Report online at uoguelph.ca/impactofgiving to read stories about the transformative effect of charitable giving at the University of Guelph.
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PAS S AGES Linda (Foran) Allen, B.Sc. ’72 and M.Sc. ’73, Sept. 15, 2013 Frank Badame, DVM ’52, Sept. 5, 2013 Ivan Becker, ADA ’62, Oct. 13, 2013 Hubert Bennett, DVM ’57, Nov. 2, 2013 Stephen Bennett, ADA ’41, Dec. 18, 2011 Joseph Brent, BSA ’59, Sept. 28, 2013 Robert Burnside, BSA ’44 and DVM ’49, May 28, 2013 Helen Caldwell, DHE ’54, May 21, 2013 John Chiles, DVM ’42, July 27, 2013 Edward Clarkson, ADA ’55, Aug. 19, 2013 William Cochrane, K.Dip. ’48, date unknown Barry Cole, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’67, Aug. 25, 2013 Harold “Tom” Corby, ADA ’33 and BSA ’36, January 2013 Ronald Costen, BSA ’52, Nov. 8, 2013 Grant Duffy, BA ’75, June 2009 Bonnie (Knowles) Edgar, B.A.Sc. ’73, Dec. 1, 2013 Karl Euler, DVM ’61, Feb. 1, 2013 Tina Gavin, BA ’94, Oct. 25, 2013 Monika George, BA ’89, Jan. 29, 2013 Betty Goodwin, H.D. Lett. ’93, Dec. 1, 2008 Robert Graham, BSA ’49, Aug. 20, 2013 Ogilvie Heming, ADA ’52, July 1, 2012 Donald Herne, MSA ’57, March 28, 2013 Wilhem Hessenthaler, ODH ’63, March 11, 2013 Donald Hill, BSA ’61, Nov. 23, 2012 Lari Honsberger, BA ’74, Feb. 26, 2013 Robert Kelly, BSA ’48, Nov. 2, 2013 Anna (McAuslan) Kennedy, DHE ’37, May 8, 2013 John Kerr, ADA ’40, Jan. 23, 2010 Elizabeth Knox, BA ’75, June 1, 2013 William Lawless, DVM ’60, Nov. 10, 2013
Diane (McGraw) Lee, B.Comm. ’75, Aug. 6, 2013 Ronald Lively, BA ’81, April 11, 2013 John R. Logan, DVM ’54, Sept. 13, 2013 Joseph Luciw, B.Sc. ’86, July 10, 2013 Valdis Macins, BSA ’59, July 5, 2013 Sheila (Redston) Mahood, DHE ’52, Feb. 13, 2013 James Marr, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’69, Feb. 15, 2013 Edward Toole, BSA ’52, Aug. 19, 2013 Donald McArthur, BSA ’49, Aug. 7, 2013 Robert McEwen, K.Dip. ’48, Sept. 6, 2013 Jean (Maus) McGugan, DHE ’47, May 29, 2013 Robert McGuigan, ADA ’76, Oct. 5, 2013 George McLaughlin, BSA ’46, Nov. 16, 2013 Luke Mikolachki, ADA ’54, June 27, 2011 Alexander Mitchell, BA ’91, August 2013 Joan (Gurotsky) Parent, DVM ’45, Oct. 4, 2013 Lorraine Peaire, B.H.Sc. ’53, July 31, 2013 Ross Pollock, DVM ’78, Dec. 14, 2012 Karen (Smith) Pooley, DVM ’79, Aug. 2, 2013 Jack Reeves, BSA ’52, Aug. 19, 2013 Mary (McKinnon) Regan, DHE ’38, July 22, 2013 James Robertson, DVM ’61, July 19, 2013 Jeffrey Rothermel, HAFA ’79, May 27, 2009 Joan Schroter, DVM ’62, Jan. 8, 2013 Anne (Douglas) Shaw, B.H.Sc. ’57, Oct. 11, 2013 John Sproule, DVM ’42, Oct. 3, 2013 Dixon Sterling, BSA ’45, July 21, 2013 Nora (Watson) Stewart, DHE ’40, Aug. 6, 2013 Robert Stewart, BSA ’48, Oct. 20, 2013
George Trewick, M.Sc. ’71, Feb. 20, 2013 Joseph Van Der Hurk, BSA ’57, Aug. 10, 2013 Gilbert John Van Der Spank, DVM ’57, Dec. 29, 2012 James van Nostrand, BA ’85, April 15, 2013 James W. White, BSA ’48, July 15, 2013 Laurie Whitton, BA ’80, Aug. 4, 2013 George Fricke, BSA ’40, July 25, 2013 Bruce Marshall, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’67, Oct. 10, 2013 Mark Lindsay, K.Dip. ’97, Nov. 14, 2013. FACULTY Eugene Balon, Professor emeritus, Department of Zoology, Sept. 4, 2013 Donald Barnum, DVM ’41, Professor emeritus, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, Aug. 30, 2013 Jack Eggens, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’65, M.Sc. ’66 and PhD ’70, Professor emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, Aug. 26, 2013 David Elrick, BSA ’53, Professor emeritus, Department of Land Resource Science, Aug. 20, 2013 Dalia Fayek, School of Engineering, Oct. 3, 2013 Antoon de Vos, former professor, Department of Biology, Aug. 17, 2013 F. Carl Miller, Retired from Department of Economics, 2008 To honour alumni who have passed away, the University of Guelph Alumni Association makes an annual donation to the Alumni Legacy Scholarship. To notify Alumni Affairs and Development about the death of a University of Guelph graduate or faculty member, send an email to alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca.
Winter 2014
U of G
has a History and a Future Worth Celebrating!
Come to Our Party Alumni Weekend l June 20 to 22 ■ Ribbon-cutting at new campus entrance ■ Gryphon statue unveiled ■ Alumni family picnic www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/
Conversat Events l June 21
■ Elegant dinner on Johnston Green ■ Entertainment/dancing at six themed venues ■ Champagne and fireworks at midnight ■ Dance all night at the Bullring www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/conversat
Anniversary Exhibit l Until July 1 ■ Interactive, family-oriented displays at the Guelph Civic Museum
Tweet a Greeting l May 8
■ U of G’s anniversary date #uofg50
Share Your Memories ■ Read our stories and tell us yours www.uoguelph.ca/50
50 Years a University – 150 Years in Education